Miniature Pugs

Firstly, I am intrigued as to precisely why any prospective pug owner would want their pugs to be any smaller than standard. They are already a toy breed, and an adult pug will usually only weigh around 20Ibs. No doubt having an even smaller pug is intended as some sort of fashion statement spurned from 'celebrities' such as Paris Hilton (although Paris Hilton actually owns a fully sized and fully healthy pug); this is entirely the wrong reason to buy a pug. Yes they are popular, and seem to be in fashion, and are fun loving dogs. What they are not, I must emphasise, is a handbag which you can dispose of when the trends change in 2 years time.

Putting your reasons for wanting to buy a miniature pug firmly aside, you may want to know precisely what a 'miniature pug' is. In some dog litters there will be a 'runt' of the litter, a dog which is weaker and smaller than their brothers and sisters. In the wild, these dogs would probably die pretty soon after birth as a result of not being able to wrestle their relatives for their mothers milk and subsequently other solid foods. In modern times of course, a runt is cared for an will generally find a loving home. In fact, my pug puppy Coco was the smallest of the litter which we saw (although she soon caught up and gets bigger every week). It is not these pugs which are sold as miniature dogs, instead certain unscrupulous breeders will take these runs and breed them with each other. After a sufficient amount of breeding weak dogs the litters will become smaller and weaker too; a miniature pug is effectively the latest in a generation of weak and unhealthy dogs.

Choosing to buy a 'runt' can be a very loving gesture, but they must be raised carefully and you should be aware that the probability of health problems is greatly increased. Even the very best breeders, such as Kennel Club registered breeders in the UK, will occasionally find a runt in the litter. A responsible pug breeder will be careful to ensure that they are raised appropriately before it is time for them to be sold to their new home, and to ensure that the buyer knows what they are getting; they should be prepared for the possibility of extra health care costs over the life of the dog. There is nothing wrong with buying a runt, just so long as it is for the right reasons, and there is nothing wrong with a breeder selling a runt - just so long as they are not breeding weaker dogs intentionally and marketing them as 'miniature pugs'. Often a 'runt' will remain much smaller than dogs of a comparative age for their entire lives (and that is often a much shorter life), but sometimes they can also catch up with an infant growth spurt. 

There are already a wide number of potential health problems in the Pug breed, even when buying from a top breeder, but the biggest problems come from the existence of interbreeding in a pugs family tree. Irresponsible breeders can be incompetent or irresponsible, often they are just greedy. An inbred group of pugs are much more likely to be born weak, and I would personally be very worried about the possibility of any 'miniature pug' breeder resorting to inbreeding. If they are irresponsible enough to select weak dogs for breeding, then they are probably irresponsible enough to inbreed. Ultimately though, if you want a tiny dog then get a chihuahua; or maybe even a 'chug' which is a chihuahua-pug cross. Or alternatively maybe a Boston Terrier? There are other pedigree dogs which grow to be smaller than a normal and healthy adult pug, do not resort to those that play with genetics.